


The Next Level

by penstrikesmidnight



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, M/M, Pets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-16
Updated: 2020-02-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:27:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22761691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/penstrikesmidnight/pseuds/penstrikesmidnight
Summary: Koutarou is ready to take his relationship with Kenma to the next level by adopting a cat. The problem? He might have a slight allergy.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Kuroo Tetsurou, Bokuto Koutarou/Kozume Kenma
Comments: 10
Kudos: 95





	The Next Level

**Author's Note:**

  * For [RainCloud10](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RainCloud10/gifts).



"Hey, Bokuto! You with me?" Koutarou blinked when Kuroo waved his hand in front of his face. "There you are. You haven't heard a word I've said for the past five minutes, have you?"

The truth was, Koutarou hadn't. He had been so deep in thought he hadn't paid the slightest attention to what Kuroo had said since they sat down with their drinks. "Sorry," he said, not really that sorry.

Kuroo rolled his eyes. "It's fine. Just ignore me and my roommate plight."

"You're rooming with Akaashi!" Koutarou bounced in his seat. "That's awesome! If I were you, I'd be ecstatic."

Kuroo groaned. "Akaashi's too...serious."

Koutarou snorted. "Says the chemistry nerd who thinks studying in the library on a Saturday night is the best thing you can do on a weekend. Honestly, I don't know why you and Akaashi don't get along. You have, like, so much in common."

"I don't want to talk about it," Kuroo muttered, as if he hadn't been complaining just minutes before. He took a swig of his coffee. "What has you all distracted, anyway?"

"Oh," Koutarou said, his mind wandering back to his dilemma. "I dunno. I think...I've been thinking about taking mine and Kenma's relationship to the next level, you know?"

Kuroo set his cup down, linking his fingers and placing his hands on the tabletop as if he were ready to have a serious conversation. "Koutarou, look, I know we're friends, but I'm not about to have a conversation with you about having sex with my childhood best friend..."

Koutarou waved his hand. "Oh please, Kenma and I are just fine in that department. Actually, I'm certainly not coming to _you_ for that kind of advice. If anything, we'd talk to Oikawa..."

"Oh my god," Kuroo said. "He's been obsessed with his Iwa-chan for years, you really think he's out there having great sex? He'd probably give you worse advice than Akaashi..."

" _Anyway_ ," Koutarou interrupted, trying to rein the conversation back in, "I think I need to do something to make Kenma realize I'm serious about us. Like, this is usually the point where we'd move in together, right? But Kenma and I already live together; we've been roommates for going on two years now! So I'm thinking, maybe we should get a pet together or something."

Kuroo raised his eyebrows. Koutarou could sense the skepticism rolling off of him, but he powered on. After all, Kuroo was easier to sway to his side than Akaashi, usually. And he knew Kenma better. "Our apartment complex allows pets, by the way. I already looked. I was thinking of getting a kitten, because there's this adorable cat that Kenma and I feed every once in awhile that lives in the neighborhood, and he gets so excited..."

"Bokuto," Kuroo finally cut in. "You do remember you're allergic to cats, right?"

"Only _slightly_ allergic," Koutarou corrected. "And I've done research. There are some cats that are easier on allergies than others. I'd make sure to get one of them, of course."

"This is one of the worst ideas you've come up with, and you come up with a lot of terrible ones. First and foremost, making me and Akaashi room together this year."

Koutarou shook his head. "You guys are the ones who signed the lease, not me! I just suggested it once Akaashi told me his roommate _also_ bailed last minute. Besides, I can't believe you still don't like each other. We've literally spent years together at this point."

Kuroo sighed. "Maybe I make terrible decisions too. After all this time, some of your traits would have rubbed off on me."

"Hey!" Koutarou protested. "Drink your coffee, it's getting cold."

"And whose fault is that?"

The two of them finished their drinks. On the way out the door, Koutarou turned back to Kuroo. “Oh, by the way. I totally would go to Akaashi for sex advice. He hooks up with more people than you, that’s for sure.”

Kuroo chucked his empty cup at Koutarou, who caught it and slam dunked it into the trash. He pointed at Kuroo afterward. “Don’t be salty because he gets more action than you. Or because you’re not getting any.”

“Shut up!”

***

"I can't believe I have to tell you how horrible of a decision this is," Akaashi said as he and Koutarou walked home from campus on Thursday afternoon. Kenma only had one class on Thursdays, and Kuroo had a late lab on campus, so Akaashi and Koutarou usually ended up walking home by themselves. Koutarou looked forward to their time together, even if it was only fifteen or so minutes.

"But 'Kaashi, he'll really love it..."

"And all I will hear about is how you hate being congested all the time, how you can't stop sneezing, how your eyes are always watering..."

"Look, my allergy isn't _that_ bad," Koutarou tried to reason with Akaashi but he shook his head.

"And you're going to take care of it? Feed it, groom it...?"

Koutarou rolled his eyes. "I haven't killed myself yet, have I? I've been living on my own for going on three years."

"Caring for yourself and taking care of a pet are completely different things. Maybe you should get a fish first, see how that goes..."

"Cats and fish are nothing alike! Besides, Kenma and I will take care of the cat _together_ , that's the whole point of getting one! You have so little faith in me Akaashi, I'm hurt."

Koutarou tried to make it sound like he was kidding, but the truth was, Akaashi had hit a slight nerve. Maybe he _couldn't_ take care of another living thing, and if he couldn't take care of a cat, then why would anyone want to be in a relationship with him? How long until Kenma saw how terrible Koutarou was at taking care of himself, much less looking out for another person...?

Akaashi sighed. "Bokuto, I apologize. It was unfair of me to say that. I just want you to understand that it isn't really healthy to have a cat with an allergy. You'll have to visit a lot of places to see if you can find a cat you are okay being around..."

Koutarou laughed. "Akaashi, are you stressed about something? You always get extra worried when you're stressed."

A crease appeared between Akaashi's eyes. "No. I wouldn't call this stress. I'd call this irritation."

"Oh. Look, Akaashi, I'm sorry, I wasn't going to ask you, you don't have to give me any more advice..."

Akaashi shook his head. "Not irritation at you Bokuto. At the fact that I ever agreed to room with Kuroo-san. Why did I let you talk me into this?”

Koutarou narrowed his eyes. "Okay, rude." Koutarou turned around, walking backward so he could look Akaashi full in the face. "First Kuroo, now you. You _both signed that lease_. Nowhere on there does it say Bokuto Koutarou! I just gave you a _helpful suggestion_ because I'm such a good friend! But anyway, what did he do?"

"He just...exists, I guess," Akaashi said after a few seconds of grudging silence. "I keep expecting him to leave his dishes in the sink, or come in late from parties, but he is the perfect roommate. He even does _my dishes_ sometimes."

"Well, yeah," Koutarou said, confused. He turned himself back around to walk normally. "Kuroo's kind of a clean freak sometimes. And he goes to the library on Saturday nights, usually. But none of that seems very irritating. If I woke up to my dishes done, I'd be pretty excited. Kenma doesn't usually do the dishes. Says if he's going to cook _and_ take out the trash, I have to do the dishes and the floors and go shopping with him."

Akaash's lips quirked. "It seems you got the short end of that stick. Anyway, I know, I'm being unreasonable, but something about Kuroo just irks me."

Koutarou thought that was pretty weird. Usually Akaashi was so level-headed. This was definitely irrational.

"Well, like I told Kuroo. We've been hanging out for _years_. There's no way at this point you hate each other. So just...talk, or something."

"You and Kuroo talk about me?" Akaashi asked, his voice dangerously calm. "Are you the reason he asked me if I hooked up with someone last weekend?"

Koutarou shifted his eyes. "Not...really. Wait, c'mon Akaashi, don't leave yet! I don't think you hate each other. I don't want you to hate each other! You're both my friends!"

Akaashi sighed. "We made it home. I'm not going to stand in the street and argue with you. I'll see you tomorrow okay? I promise I'll try not to hate Kuroo too visibly if you stop gossiping about me..."

"I don't gossip about you...!"

"And the cat's a terrible idea. Get a fish."

Koutarou stuck his tongue out at Akaashi's retreating back. "What do they know anyway?" Koutarou muttered to himself. He'd show them. He was going to find the perfect cat for him and Kenma, allergies be damned.

***

Kenma glanced up from his game Friday evening when Koutarou moped into the apartment after a last minute study session with his economics group. He opened his arms wordlessly and Koutarou fell into them. “Hard day?”

“Econ is the worst,” Koutarou lamented. “Why did I listen to Akaashi when he said to make myself marketable with business electives? Communications is fine!” Kenma snickered. He pulled out his phone, and Koutarou watched him start to play a drag and match mobile game. Koutarou loved these moments of just the two of them, sitting quiet in each other's company doing mundane things. In previous relationships he had always thought there needed to be movement, talking, busyness to fill every minute of down time. He hadn't realized how necessary these quiet spaces were until Kenma had walked into his life.

After about ten minutes, Kenma paused the game.

“Are you gonna talk about it?” he asked. 

“Huh?” Koutarou said. He tried to remember what they were talking about before he’d gotten distracted by Kenma’s phone. “Oh! No, it’s fine.”

Kenma shrugged and turned back on the game. After a few more minutes, Koutarou said, “What do you think about fish?”

Kenma glanced up at him, his expression neutral. “I eat them sometimes.”

Koutarou groaned, turning onto his stomach so he lay across Kenma’s lap. “Koutarou, don't, you’re heavy.”

“I meant, like, as a pet.” Koutarou clambered over Kenma’s legs, pushing himself between the armrest of the couch and Kenma so his legs lay crosswise over Kenma’s. Kenma looked pained.

“My answer still stands. I eat them sometimes.”

Koutarou groaned and flopped back, shifting further into the tiny space he'd made. Kenma clicked his tongue against his teeth, shoving at Koutarou's legs fruitlessly a few times. “Why are you even asking me about fish? Ugh, get _off of me_ while you’re having a crisis.”

Koutarou pouted. “We were having such a nice moment...”

“You’re the one who decided to start flailing around. Now. Stop moving and sit properly or I’m moving to the table, where we can finish our conversation.”

“No!” Koutarou shifted so he could gather Kenma into his arms, reversing their starting position. “I was just talking to Akaashi yesterday about _hypothetically_ getting a pet and he suggested a fish.”

Kenma pulled his phone out again, but Koutarou could tell by his lackluster swiping he was mostly invested in their conversation. “I mean, if you want to get a fish I guess you can. I’m not cleaning the tank, though.”

Koutarou sighed. He ran his fingers through Kenma's hair. “But that’s not owning a pet together at that point. That’s...having something sitting on the counter that we occasionally pay attention to because it's a good conversation starter if we have visitors.”

“It seems to me you don’t want a fish,” Kenma said, shutting off his phone screen again and nuzzling his nose into Koutarou's chest. “Why are you even asking me this, anyway?”

“Oh! Oh, no reason.” Koutarou swallowed. He was pretty terrible at keeping secrets, but not because he didn’t try. Kenma raised his head so Koutarou could see his skeptical look, but Koutarou shook his head and wrapped his arms tighter around him.

Kenma sighed but burrowed himself further into Koutarou's side. “I love you, you know.”

Koutarou kissed the top of Kenma’s head. It was pretty rare Kenma said those kinds of things, but Koutarou loved that Kenma knew when he needed to hear it. “Love you too.”

After a few seconds of silence while Koutarou tried to think of the smoothest way to ask Kenma if he wanted to go to bed early, Kenma said, “I’d really be okay with you getting a fish.”

“I don’t really want a fish.”

“I didn’t think so.”

"But you know," Koutarou said, and something in his tone must have warned Kenma to what was coming next because his face looked apprehensive, "I already have a _bae_ tta fish..."

"No, stop talking Koutarou," Kenma warned.

"...and I think we should hook up..."

"Oh my god," Kenma said, his face turning red from embarrassment.

"...take a swim in the sheets..."

"I will agree to anything if you stop talking right now."

"Deal," Koutarou beamed and scooped Kenma up in his arms, Kenma's legs wrapped around his waist. He rolled his eyes but gave Koutarou a long, lingering kiss. Koutarou responded eagerly.

"Well, are we going or what?" Kenma said after a few minutes of making out with Koutarou in their living room.

"Yes! Time to reel you in!"

"Please stop with the fish innuendos, it's killing the mood."

"But they're fintastic! Ow, okay, okay, I didn't realize _bae_ tta fish had teeth." Koutarou laughed. 

A few hours later, as Koutarou was about to fall asleep, Kenma whispered, "I think I'm o _fish_ ally hooked."

Koutarou laughed softly and pulled Kenma into his arms. He couldn't imagine anything better than this.

***

"Do we need more rice?" Koutarou asked Kenma. Kenma nodded and Koutarou added it to their basket. He linked arms with Kenma as they walked down the aisle to the checkout counter. He paid and took the heavier bag, allowing Kenma to take the other. This was such a normal routine at this point that Koutarou didn't know how he would feel if they stopped.

"We're later than normal," Kenma commented, tilting his head toward the sun setting against the city scape. The view was beautiful, Koutarou would admit. He wrapped his arm around Kenma's shoulders, pulling him in close. They turned down their usual street, and, as they did every Saturday, they stopped to visit Koko.

"Hi there," Koutarou said, crouching down and allowing the cat to sniff his hand before scratching it behind its ears. The cat purred. When Kenma bent down she made a beeline for him, since Kenma was generally the one who fed her. 

Koutarou watched a small, unguarded smile play on Kenma's lips as the cat ate from his palm. The cat purred again, bumping her head into Kenma's outstretched hand. "You really like them, don't you?"

Koutarou hadn't realized he had spoken out loud until Kenma said, "Yeah. Cat's are nice." They sat there and played with Koko for a few more minutes until she darted back toward her house. Or, what Koutarou assumed was her house. He and Kenma had never really considered whether or not she had a family, but she was well groomed and well fed, so they figured she was just an outdoor cat.

"Come on, we should get home."

Kenma linked his hand into Koutarou's. When they got home, Kenma took the shopping bag Koutarou had been carrying and put the groceries away while Koutarou washed his hands and took an allergy pill.

"Would you want a cat?" Koutarou asked when he came back into the living room. Kenma had set up the Switch and held out a controller for Koutarou. Koutarou took it. Another part of their Saturday routine.

Kenma shrugged. "I like cats. But would you like one? I know you're allergic to them..."

"Only _slightly_ allergic!" Koutarou protested, defensive from all the negativity he had received from both Kuroo and Akaashi. "They've never been too bad, I think my mom just wanted an excuse to not get one!"

"Settle down, I was only making an observation," Kenma said. "A lot of people who are allergic have cats, but I'm sure it isn't easy. Besides, this is all hypothetical anyway, right?"

"Uh, yeah! Of course! All hypothetical!" Kenma shrugged. Nothing more about it was said because Koutarou was suddenly in the fight for his life on Mario Kart.

"You cheat somehow," he accused Kenma that night as they got ready for bed. "There's no way you can be that good..."

"Don't be a sore loser, Koutarou," he said, his tone smug, "and stop sulking in the bathroom."

“I’m not!” Koutarou yelled into the bedroom, his voice muffled by his toothbrush. He finished up quickly so he could join Kenma in bed and prove to him he wasn't sulking. It wasn't like he didn't lose almost every time they played. He hadn't sulked about it in weeks.

Koutarou flopped onto the bed, burying his head in Kenma's stomach. Kenma laughed softly, ran his fingers through Koutarou's hair. "To answer your hypothetical question, I think a cat would be a good addition to our lives."

As soon as he heard that, Koutarou knew he was getting a cat.

***

"How can you not love this face?" Bokuto cried, showing Kuroo and Akaashi a picture of the kitten he had fallen in love with almost instantly. The person at the shelter told him it was a _seal lynx point Javanese_ , which he thought meant it was a white and brown kitten, and he had been reassured they were hypoallergenic. He had visited her twice, both times leaving the shelter with nothing an allergy pill didn't stop. "Her name is Miku, although I think she's young enough that we can change her name. But I kind of like it."

"She _is_ adorable," Kuroo said, earning an elbow in his side from Akaashi. Kuroo scowled at him, rubbing at the spot. "What? Are you so heartless you can't admit that the kitten is cute?"

"She is cute, I didn't say she wasn't! But we shouldn't be encouraging this..."

"Oh," Bokuto said, waving his hand dismissively. "I already paid for her! I pick her up tomorrow morning. I just wanted to show you a picture of her."

Akaashi ran a hand down his face. "Well, that's that then. She is really cute."

Kuroo scoffed. "You just said not to encourage this and you've already given in."

Akaashi rolled his eyes. "Clearly, he isn't listening to us, so we might as well be supportive."

"I'm _right here,_ " Koutarou said, clearing his throat. "Have your lover's quarrel when I have to leave for class in five minutes. Kenma and I have talked about it and everything. Well, kind of. I still want it to be a surprise, but I've been asking him about pets and, for your information, he doesn't want a fish."

"You suggested they get a fish?" Kuroo asked. Akaashi raised his eyebrows, daring Kuroo to argue with him. "I mean, it's a good first step. You're sure you don't want to trial run with that?"

"A fish is nothing like a cat! Anyway, let me know when you two get over this weird tension you have going on with each other so we can go back to our normal lives. Come over and see her sometime, alright? And _don't tell Kenma!_ "

"Wouldn't dream of it," Kuroo said, raising his hands in the air when Koutarou pointed his finger at him. "And I don't know what tension you're talking about."

"Make sure you get a collar and a litter box and food," Akaashi yelled after him, to which Koutarou was proud to say he only waved at instead of defending himself. Akaashi was definitely stressed. 

Koutarou pulled out his phone and messaged Kenma _How long do you think Kuroo and Akaashi will last until they end up sleeping together?_

His answer was immediate. _Less than a week. Probably tonight, because it's Friday and Kuroo told me he was going out._

Koutarou chuckled under his breath. _Optimistic. I'll give it a month._

_Loser gets to do the laundry for a month_ , Kenma bargained.

_Deal._

***

Miku was small enough to fit in one of Bokuto's palms. She seemed to like him well enough, at least more than the weekend worker who she couldn't seem to get away from fast enough. She seemed to be a fairly social kitten, taking to Koutarou as soon as he'd picked her up that first time. Koutarou had already bought the food and litter box, which he dropped off outside of his apartment door to keep the surprise as under wraps as possible. The shelter was only a few blocks from the apartment, so he could walk there and back quickly.

When he got to the apartment he took a deep breath. Kenma should be awake by now, and probably wondered where Koutarou had gone so early. Not that it was too early, but Koutarou was definitely a night owl, not a morning person.

"Did you bring breakfast?" was the first thing Kenma asked, without turning toward the door.

"Even better! Meet the new addition to our family!"

Kenma looked apprehensive as he looked over to where Koutarou was still hidden by the _genkan_. "Please tell me you didn't get a fish."

"Nope! I went in headfirst against everyone's wishes and got a cat! Her name is Miku! Say hi, Miku!"

Kenma stood up from his perch on the couch in order to meet Koutarou halfway to the door. "You really did. She's adorable. Did you say her name was Miku?"

"Yeah, the shelter named her, but we can change her name if we want to. I already have some of the basic things we need for her, and we can make a list of what else we'll need. I hope you like her."

Kenma laughed softly. He held out his hand for the new addition to their family to explore. After a few minutes Miku seemed comfortable enough with Kenma, and Kenma took her from Koutarou. "Thanks, Koutarou. I love her."

Koutarou watched Kenma play with the kitten for a few minutes. He glanced up once Miku and curled up on his chest and fallen asleep. "We'll have to invite Kuro and Akaashi to come meet her."

"Ah," Koutarou said, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck. "They're not gonna be happy. They kept telling me not to adopt her."

Kenma rolled his eyes. "I told them not to worry about it. If you'd had a bad allergic reaction to Koko, I would have insisted you not get the cat when we were talking about fish."

"Wait." Koutarou put his hands on Kenma's shoulders, forcing him to turn all of his attention to him. "You _knew?!_ "

Kenma shrugged. "Koutarou, you aren't really that subtle of a person, you know. You've been asking me weird questions for the last two weeks. And Akaashi and Kuro were concerned, so they told me to tell you no. But, I really wanted a cat."

Kenma blinked owlishly at Koutarou's stunned expression before turning his attention back to Miku. "But that still leaves the question about breakfast."

Koutarou sighed. "I'll make something. Why don't you text Kuroo and see if he and Akaashi can come over tomorrow for dinner or something?"

Kenma nodded. He pulled out his phone as he sat down gingerly, so as not to disturb Miku. Koutarou couldn't help but watch Kenma and the loving way he held the kitten close to him. He snuck a quick picture on his phone to remember the moment before entering the kitchen to make breakfast.

***

The next evening Kuroo and Akaashi did indeed show up for dinner. Koutarou and Kenma had added a cat tree to the living room and there were a few toys strewn across the floor. Kuroo immediately gathered Miku into his hands, cooing softly at her, a puddle of affection in two seconds flat.

Koutarou nudged Akaashi. "He's pretty good with her, right?"

Koutarou would have sworn Akaashi's cheeks flushed red, but he turned away before Koutarou could get a good view of his face. "I guess. Do you need help setting the table?"

Dinner was a quiet affair, which was unusual. Koutarou and Kenma exchanged glances across the table, confusion turning to realization.

"So, uh, how was your night? You said you went to a party, didn't you Kuroo?" Bokuto asked finally.

"I guess," he said, his eyes darting to Akaashi for just the briefest moment before turning stoically back to his plate.

"I knew it," Kenma said, his voice gleeful. "Koutarou, you're doing the laundry for a month."

"Wait! They didn't actually _say it_ yet." Koutarou turned to where Kuroo and Akaashi sat across from him, desperate for them to deny the implications he and Kenma were talking about, but if anything, they looked more guilty. "You really didn't sleep together, did you?"

"You're the one who's always going on about how we don't really hate each other," Kuroo pointed out.

"You couldn't wait one more week?"

"You couldn't wait any longer to get a cat!" Kuroo protested.

"Those things aren't even related! I've been planning this for _weeks_!"

"It's none of your business what we do, Bokuto," Akaashi said, resigned. "We haven't even talked about it yet. We're here to celebrate Miku joining your family, so let's just focus on that, shall we?"

"It was your business when Kenma and I were talking about extending our family," Koutaoru pouted, but changed the subject back to his new favorite topic, Miku.

"Do you think they're going to get together for real?" Koutarou asked when Kuroo and Akaashi said their goodbyes.

"Yes," Kenma said with a sly smile. "Kuroo's been wanting to date Akaashi since high school. He swore me to secrecy. He thought his crush was unrequited, which, I guess it kind of was. Akaashi probably wouldn't have slept with him unless he was tipsy. So I guess it worked out in both of their favors."

Koutarou's jaw dropped. He processed the information as he watched Kenma crate Miku for the night. "I don't know what to say," is finally what he came up with.

Kenma rolled his eyes. "Don't say anything. Let them figure it out. For smart people, they sure are dumb sometimes. I'm just glad you didn't listen to those boneheads try to talk you out of a cat, because I think she's going to be a great addition to the family." Kenma pulled Koutarou's head down and gave him a soft, lingering kiss. 

"I just...I wanted to show you how committed I am at this relationship thing. But we'd already moved in together, and I didn't think you'd be ready for a proposal..."

Kenma's eyebrows rose. "For as terrible as you are at keeping secrets, you sure do surprise me sometimes, Bokuto Koutarou."

"Would you have said yes?" Koutaoru asked, pulling Kenma closer so he could kiss him easier.

Kenma shrugged. "I honestly don't know if I would have said anything, I would have been so surprised."

The words tickled against Koutarou's lips as Kenma said them. "But now we have Miku to take care of. I don't think I can stand to let her go, so I guess I'll have to put up with you too, now, won't I?"

Koutarou chuckled. "Visitation rights would be horrible to come up with," he agreed.

After a few more intimate minutes, Kenma spoke again. "And if you ask me in a few months whether or not I'm ready to get married, I'd probably tell you yes, but only after I graduate."

"Miku would be very happy to hear it," Koutarou said, his cheeks flushing red. Kenma laughed, pressing his cool hands to Koutarou's hot face.

"I love you," he whispered, giving Koutarou one last kiss before crawling under the covers.

"Love you too," Bokuto said, and flipped off the light. He didn't know what he'd done to get so lucky, but he wouldn't trade his life for the world.

**Author's Note:**

> This was so much fun to write. Hope you liked it, Rain!


End file.
